GRAVETTE -- Chris Whorton is the new pastor of the Heritage Baptist Church. He began his pastorate in November 2020 and has been keeping busy with responsibilities at the church, getting acquainted with congregation members and other residents in the Gravette area.
Whorton is a Missouri native, born in the small Jefferson County town of House Springs, near St. Louis. He says his background gave no clue that he would become a pastor because as a child he hated going to church. That all changed, however, when he was converted at age 12 and was baptized, along with his sister and his father.
Chris says he decided at age 16 that he wanted to be a pastor. After high school, he attended Missouri Baptist College (now University) in St. Louis for four years, then went on to the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky., where he graduated in 2004.
One of Whorton's pastors in Louisville moved to Winnetka, Ill., in the Chicago area, to pastor a church and he went along and served as associate pastor there for three years. From Illinois, he moved to Ironton, Mo., where he was pastor of the First Baptist Church of Ironton for three years.
Whorton came to Gravette from Kansas City, Kan., where he had served as pastor of Christ's Cornerstone Southern Baptist Church for nine years. He moved to Arkansas in November 2020 and stayed at the Shiloh House in Sulphur Springs before buying a house in Gravette and moving his family here to join him in December.
Whorton's wife Corrie is also a Missouri native. They met in college and were married after she completed her certification as a teacher and graduated. She taught school for two years until the couple's first child was born. That daughter, Anna, is now 19 and is a student at College of the Ozarks in Point Lookout, Mo. Corrie stays busy with household duties and homeschooling the other Whorton children, Elizabeth, 17; Julia, 15; Kailyn, 12; Josiah, 10; Zoe, 7; and Judah, 5.
Whorton says he has three main goals: to get well acquainted with members of his congregation; to focus on and study their common beliefs; and to get to know the local residents, serve them and mobilize his congregation to share Christ with the community. He points out that the mission statement of the church is "To know Him and make Him known" and says he will strive to follow Jesus' example of always being of service to others.
Whorton is assisted at Heritage Baptist by associate pastor Aaron Cude. The church is located at 307 Fourth Avenue S.E. and Sunday school is being held at 10 a.m. with worship service beginning at 11 a.m. A youth meeting is held on Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. and plans are being made to start more children's programs soon. Whorton says he is also looking forward to starting some small group meetings in the homes of congregation members.
Services are being held at the church for those wishing to attend in-person, with social distancing practiced and masks and hand sanitizer provided. Those wishing to attend remotely can access the services on the Heritage Baptist Facebook page or on the media page of the church website, hbcgravette.org. A video series on the church's statement of faith is also being offered on the Facebook page.
Chris says 2 Corinthians 4:5 is a key verse in the church's mission. He quotes the English Standard Version, which reads, "For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake." He wants his congregation members to consider themselves as servants, serving and blessing the community in any way they can.
Whorton can be reached at the church telephone number, 479-787-6782.
